John van de Laar

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK What does it mean to receive God's blessings? That may sound like a silly question, but in the Bible the way blessing works is very [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Where do we find meaning? In what do we place our trust? These are central questions in every human life, and there is no shortage [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK In our world of instant solutions and instant gratification, the idea of persistence can seem extremely quaint and outdated. When we respond to God's call [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK There is no shortage of voices to listen to in our society. Daily we are bombarded with thousands of messages promising us all sorts of [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK How do you measure faith – by a lack of doubts, or by the ability to do amazing miracles, or by a life of health, [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK All the readings in the Lectionary this week speak of God working in very natural and ordinary ways. In a world where reality television can [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK There are many things that resist the good in our lives. When we are faced with those who see things differently, or who do not [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Sometimes it can appear that those of us who focus on God's grace and forgiveness are "soft" on evil. It may even seem like we [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK This Sunday is the only one in the Church Calendar that focuses on a doctrine – Trinity Sunday. The doctrine of the Trinity is tough [...]

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK The Pentecost celebration is a pivotal moment, both in the Bible and in the Church Calendar. It is so filled with meaning and symbolism that [...]